Packaging



Oct. l0, 1950 (3, M, CARSQN 2,525,649

PACKAGING Filed March 15, 1948 :Por/6e- Ragga SPO/V65 0,652

.SPa/V65 Aal/58.642

Patented ct. 140, 195() .2,525,649 PACKAGING Clarence M. Carson, Silver Lake, Ohio, assigner t6 Wingfoot Corporation, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application March .15, 1948, Serial No. 14,890

This invention relates to a process of packaging l which is particularly adapted to the packaging of soft perishable fruits and vegetables, such `as, l

l Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of the equipment for packaging articles as herein described;

Fig. 2 utilizes the same equipment and illustrates diagrammatically'a `somewhat modified operation; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation in sectionof an article wrapped according to the process illustrated in Fig. "1.

Essentially, the fruit or other article to be wrapped is placed between two sheets of heated wrapping material which are passed between sponge rubber belts or other resilient pressure means together with the frame in whichlthe article is to be cradled. The `belts stretch or mold the sheets around the article and preferably also fasten them to the frame. A preferred wrapping material is rubber hydrochloride film, although other films which perform the function of the invention may be used, such as films of vinyl products, polyethylene, and other heat-scalable, thermostretchable plastics, etc.

Fig. l comprises two sponge rubber belts l and i 2, each of which is several inches thick. The sponge rubber may be fastened to any suitable base 3 which is preferably not stretchable, such as cotton, metal or the like. The belts are moved in the direction of the arrows, and at substantiallythe same speed. Two rolls of Plioiilm (rubber hydrochloride film manufactured by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company) 5 and are shown for the purpose of illustration. These iilms, as they pass from the storage rolls, are heated by Contact with the hot rollers 8 and 9 in order to make them sealable and stretchable.

As the two films I2 and I3 enter the bite between the sponge rubber rollers, the article I4, which is a fruit, vegetable or anything else that is to be wrapped, is placed between the two lrns, and the frame I5 is placed under the bottom film. This frame may be of wood, boxboard, plastic or the like. The article I4 and frame I5 are s0 arranged that they enter the bite together so that the pressure ofthe belts will stretch the lms around the article and simultaneously push the article down into the frame and seal the edges of the iilm to it. To insure a strong bond between the films and the frame, the upper edge of the frame is coated with a material I1 to which the heated rubber hydrochloride is adherent. Figs. `1 and 3 illustrate how the film may thus be made to adhere to the top edge of the frame. `After beingdeliveied from the belts, eX- cess` `lrn will `be `trimmed from the edges of the box.

l1iig.3` shows a somewhat similar operation but Both shows the use or" `nfiulti-cellular frames. stock rolls of Pliolm are located above the spongeriibber belts `2 0 and 2l. The frames 22 eachfholdthree articles 23and the longitudinal direction andniay hold several articles laterally. The articles may be placed in a jig or fixture and carried in this to the correct position betweenthe lins 24 and 2,5. Alternatively, thewarticles maybe fed throughtubes to the correct i having the lower film thinner and thus more easily stretched than the upper film or by having it plasticized so that it stretches more readily. The elasticity may also be controlled by heating the lower film more than the upper. Thus, the two films may be stretched a different .amount as they enclose the article and are pressed down into the frame. 1

Figs. 3 and 4 show the rim of supporting lm between the article and the frame which forms a resilient support which holds each article out of contact with other articles and absorbs shocks to which the package is subjected in transportation. The iilms fit snugly against the article so that there is no danger of the surface being damaged by abrasiori. Furthermore, the article is so supported that although it is able to be moved up and down somewhat as it is jostled about when moved from one place to another, it is not given suicient play to permit bruising by being bumped on the bottom of the frame.

t is thus seen that the invention is of rather general application and is not limited to the examples given. If the frames are multi-cellular, the nlms will ordinarily be united only to the outer walls and not to the partitions between the cells. The lms may be transparent or pigmented. They may be of any color.

The use of films of different compositions in such a wrapping operation and heating films to different temperatures to impart diiferent elasticity to them is an essential feature of the invention, as brought out in the claims.

Although other heat-sealable, thermostretchable films may be used, rubber hydrochlorideiilm is preferred. This is because other plastics must be maintained in a heated condition to make them sealable and stretchable; but rubber hydrochloride, once heated, may be stretched or sealed by pressure at any time for a considerable period thereafter, even though cooled to about 100 F. Thus, even though the rubber hydrochloride cools appreciably between the heating rolls and the sponge rubber belts, it is stretched and sealed between the belts. Machines designed for use with other heat-sealable and thermostretchable lms must be enclosed so as to maintain the films at 'the required temperature until the stretching and sealing have been completed. The machines may be designed so that the surface speed of the heating rollers is the same as the surface speed of the sponge belts, or faster Yor slower depending upon whether prestretching or preshrinking of a nlm already stretched is desired. rThe apparatus employed may be changed in many respects.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 693,310, filed August 27, 1946, which has matured into Patent No. 2,438,089, issued March 16, 1948.

What I claim is:

1. The process of packaging an article between two films of thermo-stretchable, heat-sealable wrapping material for the purpose of enclosing the article between one film which is stretched but little and another iilm which is stretched substantially more in order to retain the `advantages inherent in the use of one film which is stretched but little, which comprises heating the films to render them sealable to one another by pressure, and then simultaneously pressing them into contact with opposite surfaces of the article 4- and uniting them around the article, one of the films in being brought into contact with the article as aforesaid having a very high modulus so that it is stretched but little, and the other 'film being more easily stretched as it is brought into contact with the article as aforesaid and therefore being stretched substantially more than the first mentioned lm as the article is being enclosed between the films.

2. The process of packaging an article between two films of thermo-stretchable, heat-sealable wrapping material, which comprises heating the iilms to different temperatures so that one is rendered more easily stretched than the other,

and simultaneously pressing the films into conv tact with opposite surfaces of the article and uniting them by pressure around the article, one of the lms during such pressing having a very high modulus so that it is stretched but little and the other film during such pressing being heated to so much higher temperature that it is more easily stretched than the first mentioned nlm and during the pressing operation stretching the latter film substantially more than the first mentioned lm as the article is enclosed between the films.

3. The process of packaging according to claim 2 in which the first mentioned film of that claim which is the film described as having a very high modulus is above the other nlm, and after enclosing the article in the films fastening the lms to the top of a frame so that the article is suspended in the frames with the films united near the top of the article and the top of the article below the top of the frame.

CLARENCE M. CARS ON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,856,694 De Correvont May 3, 1932 2,156,466 Vogt May 2, 1939 2,210,509 Strauch Aug. 6, 1940 2,232,783 Hausheer Feb. 25, 1941 2,438,089 Carson Mar. 16, 1948 2,484,780 Clunan et al. Oct. 11, 1949 2,486,759 Pfeiffer Nov. l, 1949 

